Bottle crate



L. HALE BOTTLE CRATE May 19, 1936.

2 Sheets-She'et 1 Filed March 19, 1931 May 19, 1936. L HALE 2,041,062

' BOTTLE CRATYE Filed March 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CRATE Lloyd Hale, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to G. H.

Tennant Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota I 7 Application March 19, 1931, Serial No. 523,711

6 Claims (01. 217-19) Crates have been constructed for milk bottles and the like, heretofore, wherein a certain construction or type of construction has been followed of a nature to provide partitions to hold struction of crates of this character made heretofore.

A feature resides in providing partitions and a bottom portion which is in the form of a sheeti like member having the openings for receiving the bottles formed therein and the edges of the partitions being formed with a means which may be inserted in a slot formed in the slats which provide thesides of the crate or which may be bers l of metal are secured over the cornersof the crate A and these angle members 13 and I5 may be connected together by rivets extending through the ends of the slats "l2.' This provides a reinforcedcorner for the crate A and holds the 5'? the bottles separated one from the other and to extended in the crack between two of the super- 5 permit the same to be handled easily when the imposed slats. A portion of thepartition .and bottles are full or empty. When the crate is bottom may be formed with barbs which project used as a milk bottle carrier and support the in a manner to form anchoring means for an-v bottles are received in upright position when choring the edges of the partition locked in the they are full of milk and permit the milkman to side walls of the crate. handle the crates filled with these bottles easily. Further, I provide a rivet-like stay-bar which When the bottles are empty they may be inextends to join and connect together the partiverted and passed through a washing means tions and bottom. in a simple and effective which thoroughly cleanses and sterilizes the manner. v

bottles. This is done in the creamery or at the These features, together with the particular milk station where the bottles are filled. details will be more clearly defined in the speci- I have designed a bottle crate which is very fication and claims. adaptable to use as a milk crate and wherein a In the drawings: construction of a different nature is provided. Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of my This crate is formed with side walls made up of crate as it would appear in use. 20

. a series of superimposed slats which are held Figure 2 is a plan view of the same. 7

together at the corners by corner members made Figure 3 is a side sectional view of thecrate. of'metal or other suitable reinforcing means, the Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of a portion of inner corner members having stacking lugs so the crate, showing in dotted lines the manner in thatone'bottle crate may be stacked upon the which either the neck of the bottle or the base 5 other. The lower slats on all sides are reinforced thereof may fit into the recesses formed in the by a metal rail to protect the lower edge of the bottom of the crate. crate; V Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged detail of one a I have designed a particular form of partition form of construction of the crate. V

303 means to form separate compartments for each Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged sectional vdebottle within the crate and I accomplish this tail of a form of construction of the crate. by a metal stamping wherein a series of open- 7 Figure '7 illustrates another sectional detail of ings are formed, and these partitions are ara form of the crate construction. H V ranged in relation to the slats which form the Figure 8 is a sectional detail of a form of con:

- side walls so as to hold the partitions in proper struction of the crate. I 35 position. Figure 9 illustrates the rivet stay-bolt used It is also a feature of the invention to provide in my crate. I V a bottom member formed of a stamping which Figure 10 is a perspective detail of a portion is provided with recesses for receiving either end of the construction illustrated in Figure '7.

40; of a milk bottle or the like. The bottom is also Figure 11 is a perspective detail of a portion 40 formed with drain openings in the center of each of the construction illustrated in Figure 8. recess so that the bottles may be inverted and The drawings illustrate the bottle crate A which the neck of the bottle will fitinto the recess is of a rectangular nature and which is formed in the bottom to hold the bottle in position so with side walls -l0 and end walls II. These walls .5 that water and steam may be forced into the are made up of a series of wooden slats [2 which same to thoroughly cleanse and sterilize it. The rest edge toedge, one against the other as illusbottom is also designed to be held by or between trated in Figure 3. I the edges of the slats so that the crate has a I Inside metal angle corner members I3 are a peculiar construction of its own design and forprovided with stacking lugs l4 formed on the mation which departs from the ordinary conupper end of the same, wh1le outs1de corner memslats l2 inrigid position, resting edge to edge,

' reinforce the partitions B as well as providing a e band-like flat surface 'for engagement with the.

one against the other. The bottom slats l2 on all sides are preferably provided with a channelshaped reinforcing metal guard rail l6 which protects the bottom edge of the crate A against undue wear in its use over gravity carriers and in sliding the crate along cement floors, as it is used in milk station's. I provide the crate A with sheet metal partitions B which are formed with 'a series of bottle openings ll. The openings I! may be formed with depending flanges I8 which tend to body of the bottles such as C. This construction permits the partitions B to be made of thin sheet v partition and the bottom D. When the rivet metal and the flanges I 1 sufliciently-reinforce the same so as to give the desired rigidity to the partition, yet permit the same to be madeof light Weight material, and the flanges form a suflicient resilienttengagement for the bottles C so as to guard against-breaking.

{The outer edge -19 'ot'rthe, partition B may be anchored in a saw-cut, such as 20, formed in the slats..l2 so as to. support the partition. Bin the proper spaced relation within the crate A, as'illustratedin liigure 5. a r a 1 a V These partitionsmay also be held bya'suitable shoulderkZl formed on the side .of .the slats I2 witht'the .edg'e 119 anchored in the saw-cut 20.

The'shoulder 2| is designed to assist insupporting the edges of it'he "partition B in proper position within the scratch. V V 1 V l A furtherssupporting of theiedge of the parti-I tion B may be accomplished by the construction illustrated in Figures 7 and 10, where Ishow the edge of the partiti'on cut at :22 in a'manner to provide a bent-up lug 23. The-edge [9.may then be anchored either in a saw-cut in theslats or between-the abutting edges of two'of the. slats l2 like as illustrated iriFigurel, where the shoulder lug '23 spaces the partition B in relation to the slats I2. 'w 7 Stil-l anotherform of holding the edges 1950f the partitions Bis exemplified in Figures 8 and 11 and this may be termed the jpreferredform of holding the edges of the partitions B in position in relation to the slats I2; 'In this construction the edge l9 isc'utat'24 to form'the anchoring V barbs 25 whichare bent to extend in opposite directions to each other and which are formed with a sharp piercing point on the projecting ends. 7 In this form the partition B is set-inthe crate with the barbs 25 engaging theadjacent edges of the slats 12, then by' squeezing-or pounding the slats down, the barbs 25 will anchor themselves into the body of each ofthe adjoining slats and thus hold the edges of the partitions anchored between the abutting edgesof the slats 12 like as is illustrated in Figure '8' and also in Figure 3; V

The bottom D isfo'rined'of sheet metal stafnpe to provide the double "recesses 26 and-21. The recess 26 is of a nature and size to receive the base of the bottle C, while the recess 2] is of a size to receive the bead of pthe neck of the bottle Ci In this manner I provide a bottom which will hold the bottles C more firmly therein, eithefin up right position or inverted as illustrated .in the drawings. The bottom D is formed'with drain openings 28 having depending annular flanges '29; The opening 28 is positioned co-axial with theiiormation of the recesses 26 and 21, thereby providing a uniform structure to the bottom'and holding the bottles ina manner so that they'can be drained out easily when they are inverted as illustrated in dotted outline in thedrawings.

handling'iof the same. a

The bottom D may be anchored in the manner 7 described for holding the side edges such as IQ of V the partition B and in the preferred form of anchoring the edges of the. bottom D the" barb structure like 25 is used so thatthe edges of'the 5 bottom D arelfirmly anchored between the wooden slats I2 which make up the side and end walls r of the crate A. v V e To further reinforce the crate A, I provide rivet stay-bolts 30 which are formed with shoulder flanges 3| and conical riveting ends 32. These stay-bolts project from the upper partition to the bottom D and between the partitions BI pro- 'vide tubular members such as 33 which act as spacers between the partitions and between the bolts 30 are placed in position as illustrated in Figures 3 "and 4lwith the spacer tubes 33 in place, the conical-end 32 of the rivet is spun down to rivet the end of the bolt or rod 30 and provide a head portion 134 thereon which rigidly. connects the rod or. stays-bolt inoperative. position and forms a tight jointbetween the connectingiparts. This formation of the riyetingstay-boltor mod isimportanta'lso the anchoring "of the same be- 25 cause it forms a water-tight jointandrthus pre-j' vents moisture'from acting readily :to ioosen "the bolts at the connectingjoint with the rupperpartie' tionB and the bottom D. Bythe forming :of thecrateA with the wooden side slats l2 and the simple stamped out partitions and bottom portions. which are: anchored to the side walls in the manner setjforth, I provide a very desirableform of bottle crate which is particularly adapted forzmilk lbottlesand'which is strong and :durable. The stamped out con struction of the partitions and bottom' in a single piecei'provides an 'economyin construction, not onlyin themaking :o'f the-crates A but in the assembly thereof so that these crates may be produced with more economyand yet theyare reinforced to provide a long wearing crate which will stand a considerable and wear in'tlie In accordance with the patent statutes 1 have V endeavored to set forth-the :best embodiment or my' crate construction andthe peculiariorm assembly which accomplishes certain desimb'le results in an economical manner, however; the same should be interpretedwithinlthe scope 01 the following claims. J Iclaim: r V a 1 j *1. A bottle (crate having partition members formed from sheet metal; bottle-openings formed in said partition members withdepending flanges about said openings, a bottom member m med from sheet metal, means for anchoring the edges 'rods between opposed side wa'lls'and spaced therefrom extending from said partition means to said bottom member'and riveted to saidrpar-fl titioii means and bottom a 3. A bottle crate including; a partition mem-' her, side walls; andmeans for iainchoring said partition member to said walls including a spacing member adapted to bear against said wall and properly position said partition within said side walls.

4. A bottle crate including, side walls built up of a series of superimposed slats, a partition member extendable between two adjacent slats, and a spacing member on said partition member engageable against said wall to hold said parti- 10 tion member in proper spaced relation.

5. A bottle crate including, side walls, a partition member extending into said side walls, and means for anchoring said'partition member to said side walls including a spacing member on said, partition member to hold said partition member in proper spaced relation. 7

6. A bottle crate including, side walls, a. partition member extending into said side walls, and spacing means on said partition spaced from the edges thereof to hold said partition member in proper spaced relation.

LLOYD HALE. 

